Review: Wood Street Coffee, Walthamstow, east London

It seems we can't stay away from Walthamstow so here is another little brunching place to add to your list. I'd been hearing a lot about Wood Street Coffee on the grapevine aka read it in Time Out. My bible on a Tuesday. Now I'm not a coffee drinker but I am a massive brunch eater. My boyfriend is a big coffee drinker and a massive brunch eater. So it seemed a no brainer that we gave it a shot while we were in the area. Tucked out of the way in Blackhorse Workshop, it's a bit of mission to find but don't let that put you off.

Choosing to make the most of the sunshine we decided to grab a table outside. We arrived just after 9.30am and it was pretty busy already which could only mean good things in my eyes. I eagerly ordered the smashed avocado on sourdough bread with chilli flakes and a fried egg on top. Served alongside fresh peppery rocket and a wedge of lemon, this was delicious. Avocado on toast is such a simple yet tasty dish. The oozing bright orange yolk was perfectly cooked and provided a brilliant accompaniment to the earthy avocado.

But when my boyfriends dish of homemade cumin, paprika and coriander baked beans on toasted sourdough bread with extra chorizo and a fried egg, I was suddenly green with envy. Obviously I had to try a bite for research purposes and they were as good as they looked. The huge chunks of chorizo and paprika added a gorgeous kick to the dish. The creamy butterbeans were delicious in the sweet tomato sauce. It's not often I regret my food option but I did this time.

Wood Street Coffee is a lovely little place to go for a leisurely breakfast. The service was quick, the outdoor area was a lovely touch and prices were very reasonable for the sized portion. We left feeling satisfied with doesn't always happen with these greedy monkeys! It seems we had stumbled upon another Walthamstow gem.

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How to decorate your bedroom on a budget

I still live at home so I don't really have too much free control over my bedroom. All systems go towards that house deposit - so near yet so far! But I have been enjoying adding a few bits and pieces to my bedroom to make it feel like 'mine'. Here are a few ideas to help put your stamp on your own space even if you can't decorate away until your heart's content.

Wall prints
These can be a great way to cheaply add a little bit of your own personality to your room. You don't even have hang them on a wall. Simply pop them in a frame and onto a shelf. I fell in love with this pretty print while I visited Sarah a few months back. It summed up the way I've been feeling recently and incorporated my love of travel. Keep an eye out on Etsy for some fantastic prints - I've got these Harry Potter ones on my list. Nothing quite like a Dumbledore quote to make you feel all sassy and ready to take on the world.

Duvet sets
I think you'll all be with me when I say the bed is the most important thing in any bedroom. Plus a good duvet cover can make all the difference.  You can pick up some great ones in Primark which mean you can have a few on rotation. I was sent a special anti-allegy duvet from Sleepy People in time for Allergy Awareness Week in April. It's designed to offer protection against mites and bacteria making it great for allergy sufferers. I can say I haven't had any trouble since sleeping with it!

Candles
It's only in this last year that I've totally got the hype of candles. I always thought they were a bit of a waste of money and wasn't keen on burning my cash. But, now I absolutely love them, my favourite thing is lighting one before snuggling under the covers to read a book. You really don't have drop £50 on one to bag a decent one either. This fun pineapple candle was a bargain in the New Look sale at £3 - check out their homeware section. Oliver Bonas always do some gorgeous smelling scents that really fill your room. This limited edition Pomegranate & Patchouli candle smells absolutely gorgeous.

Shelves
Shelves are a great way to add little trinkets to give your room your own stamp. I love to add photographs, perfume, candles and basically anything that I think sums up my personality. As my room is a black and white theme I like to add a little colour on my shelves. Charity shops and bootsales can be great pieces to pick up trinkets for a few pennies. They're often be slightly unusual too - you'd be surprised what people chuck out.

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Review: Whyte & Brown, Kingly Court, Soho

Kingly Court in Soho is one of my favourite places to go for a bite to eat. It's a cluster of brightly coloured restaurants offering cuisines from all over the world. This time we opted to head to Whyte & Brown, a specialist chicken restaurant on the ground floor. All of the chicken is free range from a grain-fed farm in Yorkshire. Making the most of the rare sunshine, we asked for a table outside and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Carnaby Street.

Coming from work, we were absolutely starving so promptly ordered some crispy chicken skins to keep our bellies ticking over. I wish we'd ordered more. And more. The thin, salty crisps were similar to pork crackling but a much lighter taste. Very addictive. Keen not to over order - as usual - we ordered a black pudding scotch egg to share. With a perfectly cooked bright orange yolk, the chicken meat made a nice change from the sausage meat - the black pudding gave it a nice tang.

For mains we opted for pulled barbecue chicken in a sweet bun topped with spicy jalapeños and sour cream and the puff pastry chicken and tarragon pie with kale, roasted red onion and a rich, creamy celeriac mash. Of course a side of parmesan and truffle fries were needed too. The tender pulled chicken just melted in my mouth and the brioche bun withstood the serious party going on inside. Anyone else hate it when they fall apart at the seams? The celeriac mash was a revelation. So creamy. So rich. So flavoursome. I may have finished off most of this portion...

Whyte & Brown is a good solid choice. The food is reasonably priced, tasty and it's in a great location in the centre of town. The food is hearty, tasty and varied. This is the second time I've visited and both times they've been on top of their game. It's not going to win any awards for being the most innovative but for British comfort food it can't be beaten.

These pictures were taken using a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. As a iPhone nerd I'd always wondered about the other side. And when I crossed over to the other side I was delighted. The camera on the phone is absolutely great and hands down is one of the best phone cameras I've ever used. An Instagrammers dream. 

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Recipe: Japanese turkey katsu curry

Goldfish brand got in touch and offered me some curry concentrate sauces with a cooking challenge to rustle up some delicious meals. Challenge accepted! Goldfish Brand have been making curry sauces for over 30 years and were founded by Mr Lee for professional chefs. As soon as I spotted the Japanese style curry sauce I immediately had a kind of Katsu curry planned. I wanted to make it a little healthy so opted for lean turkey escalopes and a cornflake coating instead of bread crumbs. The curry sauces are delicious, it tasted just like my favourite Wagamama dish. We opted for a thick sauce like you get in the restaurant. They're really simple to use and you just mix with water. You just add more water depending on how thick or thin you prefer the sauce.

On another note, anyone else struggle to make curries look photogenic?!

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 turkey escalopes
1 egg
A handful of cornflakes
200g white rice
100g Japanese style curry sauce*
300ml water
1 tsp of olive oil

Method
1. Put the rice in a pan of boiling water and cook for 15 minutes.

2. Crush the cornflakes into crumbs using your hands. Coat the turkey escalopes in the egg before coating in the crushed cornflakes. Put to one side on a white rack.

3. In a small saucepan, mix the curry sauce and water together until it has dissolved completely. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 2-3 minutes.

4. Fry the escalopes in the olive oil 3-4 minutes each side depending on their thickness.

5. Drain the rice, put on a plate and plate the escalope on top. Pour over the sauce.

As always I would love to know if you attempt this, make sure you drop me a tweet! Use the hashtag #curryoncooking

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An Instagram restaurant round up

Sometimes I head out to eat and forget my camera or take my camera and the lighting is rubbish. So I use my handy old phone - thank god for iPhones eh? The picture quality isn't the greatest but sometimes you've gotta live in the moment and just snap a quick picture eh? Sometimes it's a bit of a chore to eat cold food after photographing it 50 times at different angles. It seems a shame not to write about them so here are a few mini reviews of the restaurants I've enjoyed lately.

Pix
Over the Bank Holiday weekend a few friends and I decided to take advantage of infinity Sunday at tapas restaurant Pix. For around £37 - including service charge - we had 90 minutes of unlimited cava and pintxos. Pintxos are typically eaten in the Basque region in Northern Spain in bars. They're typically served on bread with a cocktail stick through the middle to hold it all together. Now I've never had the real deal yet but these were absolutely delicious. My favourites were serrano ham on tomato toast,  four cheese fritter, meatballs in a tomato sauce and chorizo with manchego cheese. I was really impressed at how attentive they were despite it being ultimately a self-service restaurant - all of the pintxos are situated at the bar. The price really couldn't be beaten and with my greedy friends, we definitely got our money worth. It was a fantastic way to celebrate Bank Holiday weekend.

Tony's Pie and Mash
As much as I love going out for a fancy meal and trying new cuisines, sometimes you just can't beat some childhood comfort food. The East End/ Essex favourite of pie, Mash and liquor isn't pretty or going to win any awards for being the most nutritious meal on the market. But there's something special about it. It reminds me of my childhood and whenever I tuck in, I can't help to be transported back to being a young child with my granddad as he tucked into his favourite meal. With lashings of vinegar, these mince meat pies with mash potato drowning in liquor sauce can't be beaten. Tony's is pretty famous in these parts, David Beckham for one is a frequent visiter among other well known people. At only 20 minutes away we really should make more of an effort to visit more.

Pan De Vie
I was lucky enough to be invited along to the launch night of a new Asian fusion bakery in Covent Garden. It combines European baking and patisserie methods with exotic Asian flavours such as matcha and green tea. I hasn't tried any Asian cakes or bakes so was pretty excited to try my first ones. I loved the addictive Japanese cheesecake and the green tea and white chocolate tart - a great combination of flavours that really complimented each other. It's a great place to go if you fancy a sweet treat that is a little out of the ordinary.

Voodoo Rays
Buying a pizza by a slice is still a novelty in London, those darn New Yorkers have everything. This pizza joints offers massive 22 inch pizzas sold by slice priced at just £4 each. Hannah and I decided to head to the Boxpark branch after I accidentally took her to the wrong part of town for a press event. Smooth. The pizza isn't the best I've had in London but it was good. I loved the thin crispy base, generous toppings and the portion was massive. It's a great place to stop off if you're in Shoreditch area for a quick bite to eat after a night out - it's open until 3am on a Saturday night.

Shackfuyu
After trying every other restaurant in the Bonedaddies group, it was left for me to tick Shackfuyu off the list. We all went out for Michelle's birthday when she got back from Hong Kong so obviously we decided to go all out. It's definitely not cheap but it's worth the money. The stand out dish for me was the Korean chicken wings. I just couldn't get enough - they were so incredibly moorish! I could have eat portion after portion. Make sure you order the famous Kinako French toast with green tea soft serve ice cream.

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OOTD: Black and white gingham skirt

Outfit:
Light wash denim jacket: Primark (similar)
Black sleeveless roll next body: ASOS
Black and white gingham midi skirt: Topshop (similar)
Black and navy quilted pointed pumps: Primark (similar)
Poppy red Lily: Mulberry

The sun finally arrived last weekend eh? After snow, hail and rain over the last few weeks, I didn't think the sun was going to put its hat on at all this year. In celebration of the warm weather I decided to get my pasty pins out for the first time this year. Those lucky people of Walthamstow. This is one of my fail safe summer outfit. A light cotton midi skirt, body and denim jacket. Job done. It's so easy to pop on and keeps me nice and cool. This denim jacket will be worn to death over the common months. Fingers crossed this nice weather to continue although I have heard some nasty rumours of thunderstorms. Sort it out Mother Nature!

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Review: Eat 17, Walthamstow, east London

Like I mentioned in my Walthamstow post, we sampled brunch at Eat 17 last weekend. Eat 17 had been on my radar for a while but we just never got round to ticking it off the list. We have been venturing towards central London for brunch recently but after battling the crowds every day on the tube for work, I want to leave that all behind at the weekend. So east London it was. Somewhere we could drive and not have someone else's sweaty armpit in our faces.

Being the greedy little piggies that we are, we wanted to try everything on the menu. But, in the end we settled for three to share. I know, we showed so much restraint didn't we? One of the surprise favourites was the Walthamstow rarebit on toast. We only plumped for this because we didn't want any more eggs but what a great spontaneous decision it was. With oodles of gooey, melted cheese, dollops of Worcester sauce and a slightly spicy mustard after taste, the delicious dish hit the spot.

Next up was the Lincolnshire sausage sandwich with their own onion jam. Served in a sweet brioche roll, the chunky sausages were on top of a generous layer of onion jam - not too dissimilar to a chutney. The sausages were flavoursome and cooked with perfection. Offering a perfect crunch!

Finally it was time for the homemade baked beans with chorizo and a poached egg on top. I'm not really a fan of baked beans if I'm perfectly honest but being the dutiful girlfriend I am, I let this one through because my boyfriend is. But boy this completely threw a curveball into the mix. Full of butterbeans and kidney beans in a sweet tomato sauce, it was a revelation. The chorizo helped to add a much needed kick to the dish - such a good combination.

After hearing so much about Eat 17, it was so lovely to see that it lived up to the hype. It has a solid brunch menu - traditional favourites with their own little twist. The portions are great value for money and just the right size. I think the bill came to around £35 which isn't too bad at all for three meals, a coffee and a diet coke. The atmosphere is lovely, the staff are very attentive and it's in a wonderful location. Definitely put it on your list if you're ever in Walthamstow or even plan a trip east especially. You won't be disappointed!

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Exploring London: Walthamstow, east London

If you had spoken to me five years ago about planning a trip to Walthamstow I probably would have laughed in your face. I only really set foot in that part of the East End because we wanted to use the Victoria line and parked at Blackhorse Road station. It was a little too gritty and didn't have a good reputation. At all. But around a year ago it started creeping on my radar. Word on the grapevine was this part of east London was on the up. Delis, cool restaurants and markets were popping up but it was still managing to keep it's community feel. It didn't feel too hipster yet and hadn't had it's soul ripped out like Shoreditch. God bless that place - it's just not quite the same any more. On a side note, I had a realisation that I had been going out in Shoreditch for the past 10 years. Excuse while I sob into my anti-aging cream. But anyway. Last weekend we decided to jump the bullet and organised a day trip. Being on a 25 minute drive we decided we didn't have much to lose - we could always jump back in the car and pick up some Macdonalds on the way home.

One of the places I was keen to try out was Eat 17 located in Walthamstow Village. I'd read that this restaurant was the place that kinda kickstarted the whole revolution. So naturally it needed to be tried out. We got there about 11am to try their brunch menu. What a brunch menu that was. I've got a whole separate post ready for that. But take my word when I say that alone is worth heading east for.

After sharing three breakfasts we needed to walk the food baby off. So we opted to explore the village. I'm still scratching my head that this is part of Walthamstow. It felt a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Quaint chocolate box cottages lined the streets. Delicious food markets were taking place in church halls. People were milling around eating their breakfasts outside on the cobbled streets. Such a lovely place to wander and enjoy the sunshine. Just a stones throw away from the village was God's Own Junkyard. A collection of neon signs, vintage film props and salvage displays scattered around a old warehouse on an industrial estate. We could have spent hours slowly wandering around, reading every single sign. Next time I'm trying some cake in the cafe!

After a mooch around Vestry House Museum and spotting Toby Jones filming in the gardens, we decided to seek out the William Morris Gallery and have a walk around Lloyd Park. Opened way back in 1900, the park was gorgeous. Filled with tennis courts, a cafe and pretty lush foliage, it was a lovely place to have a wander and soak up the sunshine. I can imagine it's even nicer during the summer months with a picnic. Although we did see the police talking to a couple who had been mugged, it seems we were still in east London - despite the greenery.

Dedicated to the life of designer William Morris, the gallery is full of fascinating information and impressive prints. I never really knew too much about William Morris and had no idea of his socialist ideals. Offering free entry, his old house is a great place to will away an few hours of an afternoon.

Finally we wandered back to Wood Street where we had parked the car for a mooch around the indoor antique market. This quaint, charming market is such a gem. Vintage clothing, old vinyl and handmade gifts offer something for everyone. My boyfriend for one would have spent the whole day shifting through the vinyl if it was payday!

Now that Walthamstow is quite rightly on my radar I'll definitely be back. There's a handful of restaurants that I have on my list and a picnic in Lloyd Park is calling my name. It just goes to show you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Or by it's shady past!

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